"Gentle Passages" Book Review {A Celebration of WOMANHOOD}

Gentle Passages by Robin Jones Gunn is a must read book for any mother of little girls. You will literally bawl your eyes out as you read the first story about the Fine China Plate, which helps a little girl understand the importance of staying pure. Later, this little girl (now a woman) wrote Robin a letter and in it she stated, "As I look back now, I realize that something happened that day. A thought began. As deeper understanding grew, it established a mind-set, which turned into a lifestyle. Tonight I seek to invest in three young girls and to give to them the secret you gave me that summer day. ... One day I know God will use them for His highest purposes, which are, as you taught me, being clean and ready so He can use us to serve others." You'll have to read the book yourself to find out the SECRET of the china plate and I promise that it's worth it.

This book is incredible in more ways than I can count (and it's less than 50 pages long!). As I turned each page a new idea formed on how to make the entry into womanhood a beautiful experience with my daughter rather than an embarrassing one. I have so many ideas, spurred on by this book. Some are taken directly from this book (like the fine china plate) and other light-bulb moments were my own as Robin encouraged mom's to make learning about womanhood a joyful experience. In fact, it should be an experience we CELEBRATE because we are WOMEN who God specifically designed to be part of an amazing miracle.

I have a ton of favorite little stories throughout the book (like the story about wildflowers and dreaming of future husbands... oh man, did I choke up), but I won't share them with you, you need to read them (with a box of Kleenex’s – seriously) however, I do have a favorite poem called, What a Mother Thinks¸ that I will most definitely share…

I love you so much.

There is no way

I can possibly put into words

how proud I am of you.

You're absolutely beautiful.

Sometimes when our eyes meet,

It’s like gazing into a reflection pool.

I see in you glimmers of my past.

Do you see in me hints of your future?

You are everything I ever prayed for.

There’s nothing about you I’d change.

I love you more than you’ll ever know,

More than you will ever ask.

There’s nothing I wouldn’t give for you,

Nothing I wouldn’t do for you.

You are my daughter,

And I will always love you

With a love so immense

so eternal

I could never find a way to squeeze it into words.

Besides beautiful stories of how other moms discussed the entry into womanhood Robin offers “Celebration Suggestions” to help get any reluctant mom excited about this topic. I truly believe that Robin’s point was to make this experience one worth celebrating rather than dreading it or being disgusted by it. If you have a daughter, you need to get this book and refer to it often as she grows up into a beautiful woman.

P.S. When I say womanhood, I mean the "hush-hush" topics all moms are afraid to discuss with their blushing 12 year old daughter; using words like: sex, period, penis, vagina, breasts, (aaaaand you get the picture).